February 15, 2008 - See Notice (NOT-GM-08-122) The purpose of this notice is to inform the community that the January 2009 application submission date is being moved to January 22, 2009 because the Presidential inauguration (January 20, 2009) is a Federal holiday.

January 15, 2008 - See Notice (NOT-GM-08-120) Technical Assistance Workshop for the Bridges to the Baccalaureate Program.

NOTICE: Applications submitted in response to this Funding
Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for Federal assistance must be submitted
electronically through Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov)
using the SF424 Research and Related (R&R) forms and the SF424 (R&R)
Application Guide.

APPLICATIONS MAY NOT BE SUBMITTED IN PAPER FORMAT.

This FOA must be read in conjunction with the application
guidelines included with this announcement in Grants.gov/Apply for Grants (hereafter
called Grants.gov/Apply).

A registration process is necessary before submission and
applicants are highly encouraged to start the process at least four weeks prior
to the grant submission date. See Section IV.

Program Announcement
(PA) Number: PAR-07-411

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number(s)93.859

Key Dates
Release/Posted Date: July 23, 2007
Opening Date: August 21, 2007(Earliest
date an application may be submitted to Grants.gov)Letters
of Intent Receipt Date(s):Not requiredNOTE: On time submission requires that applications be successfully
submitted to Grants.gov no later than 5:00 p.m. local time (of the applicant
institution/organization). ApplicationSubmission/Receipt
Date(s): September 18, 2007; January 18, 2008; September
18, 2008; January 20, 2009 (New Date January 22, 2009 per NOT-GM-08-122); September 18, 2009; January 20, 2010 Peer Review Date(s):February-March for
September submissions, and June-July for January submissionsCouncil Review Date(s):Mayfor
September submissions and Octoberfor January
submissionsEarliest Anticipated Start Date(s):July 1 for September
submissions and December 1for January
submissionsAdditional Information To
Be Available Date (Activation Date):Not ApplicableExpiration Date: January 21, 2010

Due Dates for E.O. 12372

Not Applicable

Additional
Overview Content

Executive Summary

This funding opportunity
announcement (FOA) solicits Research Education (R25) grant applications tofacilitate
the transfer and graduation of students of diverse
backgrounds from associate to baccalaureate degree-granting
institutions. The program promotes inter-institutional partnerships to improve the quality and
quantity of students from underrepresented groups and or health disparities
populations being trained as the next
generation of biomedical and behavioral research scientists.

Purpose.The purpose of this funding opportunity is to increase the number of students from groups
underrepresented in the biomedical and behavioral research enterprise of
the nation and/or populations disproportionately affected by health
disparities(hereafter referred to as targeted groups/populations) who successfully complete the baccalaureate degree in biomedical and behavioral sciences.This
initiative promotes inter-institutional partnerships between
community colleges or other two-year post-secondary educational institutions granting theassociate degree and
colleges or universities that offer the baccalaureate
degreewith the goal of developingwell-integrated
developmental activities that willincrease
students preparation and skills as they advance academically in the
pursuit of the baccalaureate and subsequently more advanced degrees in biomedical and behavioral sciences.

Mechanism of Support. This FOA will use the NIH Research
Education (R25) grant mechanism.

The total amount to be awarded is approximately$12.0 million(total costs) per year for new and renewal applications for the
Bridges to the Future(Bridges to the Baccalaureate and Bridges to the Doctorate) programs. The anticipated number of new and renewalBridges to the Baccalaureate awards issix to nine per year.

Awards issued under this FOA are
contingent upon the availability of funds and the submission of a sufficient
number of meritorious applications.

Because the nature
and scope of the proposed research education program will vary from application
to application, it is anticipated that the size and duration of each award will
also vary. The total amount awarded and the number of awards will depend upon
the numbers, quality, duration, and costs of the applications received.

Budget and Project
Period: The total
project period for an application submitted in response to this funding
opportunity may not exceed five years. Direct costs will vary with the scope of the research education program
proposed.

Eligible
Institutions/Organizations.Public/State Controlled
Institution of Higher Education; Private Institution of Higher Education;
Hispanic-serving Institution; Historically Black Colleges and Universities
(HBCUs); Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs); Alaska
Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions; Other(s): Community
Colleges and other two-year post-secondary educational institutions that offer
associate degree programs with an emphasis on the biomedical and
behavioral sciences and that have a high enrollment, as determined by the
applicant institution, of students from targeted groups/populations.

Eligible Project
Directors/Principal Investigators (PDs/PIs): Any individual with the skills, knowledge, and resources
necessary to carry out the proposed research education program is invited to
work with their institution to develop an application for support. Individuals
from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups as well as individuals with
disabilities are always encouraged to apply for NIH support.

Number of Applications. An applicant institution may not
submit, or have pending, more than one Bridges to the
Baccalaureate application. An institution may only hold one Bridges to the Baccalaureate award.

Renewals & Resubmissions:Applications can be renewed by competing for additional
project periods. Up to two resubmissions (formerly
“revisions/amendments”) of a previously reviewed research education grant
application may be submitted. SeeNOT-OD-07-015, November 13, 2006.

Number of PDs/PIs. More
than one PD/PI, or multiple PDs/PIs, may be designated on the application.

Research education
programs may not be transferred from one institution to another.

The Bridges to the Future Program (Bridges to
Baccalaureate and Bridges to Doctorate) was created
inresponsetoPublic Law 106-525 which recognized a national need for
increasing the number of well-trained minority scientists in the fields of biomedical, clinical, behavioral and health services research. This statute also recognized
that the inclusion of underrepresented minorities and
women in the scientific, technological and engineering workforce will enable
the nation to better improve the health of the people of the United
States and eliminate health
disparities in the nation.To accomplish these goals,the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) (http://www.nigms.nih.gov/) and the NationalCenter on Minority Health and
Health Disparities (NCMHD) (http://www.ncmhd.nih.gov/)of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) jointly provide fundingopportunities under the Bridges to the Future Program to: a)increase the transfer rates ofstudents from targeted groups/populations from associate to baccalaureate degree-granting
institutionsand from master’s to
doctoral degree-granting institutions; and b) increase the graduation rates of these transfer
students withbaccalaureate and Ph.D. degrees, respectively,in biomedical
and behavioral sciences.The Bridges to the Future Program anticipates that an increase in transfer and graduation rates of
students from targeted groups/populations will strengthen the supply of biomedical and behavioral
science graduates at key points of the educational pathway, a necessary first step in increasing diversity in professional
personnel investigating health disparities.

To facilitate the transfer and graduation of students, the Bridges to
Baccalaureate Program promotes inter-institutional partnerships/consortia between community colleges or other two-year post-secondary
educational institutions granting the associate degree and colleges or
universities that grant baccalaureate degrees in biomedical and behavioral
sciences.The program expects that the joint efforts
of baccalaureate degree-granting and associate degree-granting institutionswill foster the
development of a well-integrated institutional program that will provide
students from targeted groups/populations with the necessary academic preparation and skills to enable their transition and successful completion
of the baccalaureate and subsequently more advanced degrees in biomedical and
behavioral sciences.Since an effective partnership/consortium requires
considerable effort and resources, the proposed partnership/consortium should be composed of no more thanfour
institutions, unless strongly justified otherwise, including the applicant
institution. An eligible institution may participate in only one Bridges to the Baccalaureate partnership/consortium.

TheBridges to the Baccalaureate Programrecognizesthat students
enrolled at community colleges comefrom diverse family
educational backgrounds. It is possible that
some of the students are not quite
familiar with the expectations of college, including
the type of thinking and learning required for success in college courses. It has been shown, however, that participation in
activities designed to enhance learning and critical thinking resulted in
improved student performance in reading and writing, improved student attitudes toward learning, and contributed to higher
retention and GPAs (Boyland H. R., (2002) “What Works:
Research-Based Best Practices in Developmental Education”, National Center for
Developmental Education).

Bridges
applicationsare institutional in nature and
therefore they must reflect
the plans and priorities of the participating institutions as well as the
collective plans and priorities of the partnerships/consortia.Collaborative
agreements should be designed to best fit the needs and
situations of the
institutions involved. The challenge
for the participating partners is to create a partnership program, or to
enhance an existing program, that will focus attention and adequate resources
on the institution(s) granting associate degrees and
enhance competitiveness of its (their) science graduates and science programs.An analysis of successful science programs by Jolly, Campbell, and Perlman entitled
“Engagement, Capacity and Continuity: A Trilogy for Student Success” (GE
Foundation, September 2004) concluded that three
factors must be present for students to succeed in the sciences and be able to
continue in the education pipeline. These factors are: 1) student engagement in
the sciences, i.e., awareness, interest and motivation; 2) knowledge and skills needed to advance to increasingly more rigorous
content in the sciences and quantitative disciplines; and 3) presence of a well-designed system where
the skills, knowledge and information that students need to move to more
advanced levels are provided at each earlier, less
advanced level. These three factors are interdependent and each is necessary.
No individual factor is sufficient to ensure student persistence and success.
Thus, successful programs select and employ well-integrated strategies, rooted in education research, that provide
students what they need to progress to the next stage of the science education pathway.

Applications
must clearly describe the pool of targeted students at each associate degree-granting institution in the consortium. Applications must also indicate the number of targeted students from
each two-year institution and the total number of targeted students who
would participate in the Bridges to the Baccalaureate Program during the
academic year and summer.NIH anticipates that a total of 15 -20 Bridges students will
participate in the student development activities, including summer research
internships, each year and that a minimum of four Bridges students from
each two-year institution will participate
in the program to provide a critical mass.

The Bridges to Baccalaureate Programexpects that in five years: a) the
overall institutional transfer rate of students from targeted groups/populations
from the participating associate degree-grantinginstitution(s)to baccalaureate degree programs in biomedical/behavioral sciences will increase by 50%; b)at least 70% of the Bridges students, upon
or before graduation from the associate degree program, will transfer to
baccalaureate degree programs in biomedical/behavioral
sciences; and c) at least 75% of the transferring Bridges students will
successfully complete their bachelor’s degrees in
biomedical/behavioral sciences. Institutions/consortia
that fail to demonstrate a substantial
progress towards achieving these goals during the
five-year grant period may not be allowed to submit a competing renewal
application.

TheBridges to Baccalaureate
Programrecognizes the heterogeneity in institutional settings and institutional missions. Therefore, each partnership/consortium
must:1) provide the baseline data on transfer and subsequent graduation of its students in
biomedical and behavioral sciences;2) establish its own goals and specific measurable objectives within the expectations set by the Bridges to the Baccalaureate Program
for institutional outcomes;3) present an integrated plan of activities that would move the institution
from baseline to the program’sexpectations;and 4) provide
an evaluation plan that is designed to provide information useful to the
Program Director and the participating institutions
for improving the program, and for institutionalizing the most effective
activities supported by the Bridges to the
Baccalaureate program. Applications submitted without any of this information
will be considered non-responsive to this funding
opportunity.

The specific
measurable intermediate-stage objectives (milestones) are expected to be
described for the total student population (Bridges and non-Bridges students)
in biomedical/behavioral sciences at the participating two-year institutions. These may include, but are not
limited to: improvement of students’ retention rate; improvement in the writing and presentation skills of
students; improvement of students’ quantitative skills and academic
achievement, including GPA; and increase in the
number of students transferring to and successfully completing the
baccalaureate degree in biomedical and behavioral sciences. The outcome
measures of the program and its impact on the participating institutions
should be presented relative to baseline data.

Bridges to the Baccalaureate is an institutional program that provides support for student,
faculty and institutional development activities. The types of activities proposed to achieve the objectives of the
program are left entirely to the choice of the
applicant institutions but must be consonant with the goals of the Bridges to
the Baccalaureate Program. Examples ofdevelopmental activities may include, but are not limited to:

Theconsortium institutions
jointly developingcommunity college courses and curricula, including enrichment and
updating existing or developing new science and math courses that would be fully transferable for baccalaureate degree
credit at the participating baccalaureateinstitution(s);

Faculty from the baccalaureate
institution(s) serving as visiting lecturers, offering lectures and/or
laboratory courses in areas in which expertise is lacking at the participating two-year institution(s), or developing jointteam-taught courses;

Preparing
community college students, through college
orientation classes, etc., for transfer to
the baccalaureate institution(s);and

Advanced or special courses for Bridges faculty from
community collegesat the partner baccalaureate
institution(s)and attending
research education conferences.

The proposed research education program may complement
other, ongoing research training and education occurring at the applicant and its partner institutions, but the
proposed educational experiences must be distinct from those research training
and research education programs currently receiving
federal support. The R25 is not
a substitute for an institutional research training program (T32) and may not be used to
circumvent or supplement Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award
(NRSA) mechanisms.

Applicants
should also note that this funding opportunity is not designed to
provide financial aid for students and those
applications principally for financial aid, without a
well thought-out institutional program, will be
considered non-responsive to this funding
opportunity.

This FOA will use the NIH Research Education Grant (R25)
award mechanism. As an applicant, you will be solely responsible for planning,
directing, and executing the proposed project.

This FOA uses just-in-time concepts. It also uses
the non-modular budget format. Applicants must complete and submit budget
requests using the SF424 Research and Related (R&R) Budget Component found
in the application package for this FOA.

Research education grant support
is renewable. It is strongly recommended
that applicants contact the scientific/research contact listed in Section VII concerning
the submission of a competing renewal (formerly
“competing continuation”) application.Up to two
resubmissions (formerly “revisions/amendments”) of a previously reviewed research education grant application may be submitted.
See NOT-OD-07-015, November 13, 2006.

2. Funds Available

Because the nature and scope of the proposed research
education program will vary from application to application, it is anticipated
that the size and duration of each award will also vary. Although the financial
plans of theNIGMS and NCMHDprovide support for this program, awards pursuant to this
funding opportunity are contingent upon the availability of funds and the
submission of a sufficient number of meritorious applications.

The total amount to be awarded is
approximately $12.0 million (total costs) per year for new and renewal
applications for the Bridges to the Future (Bridges
to the Baccalaureate and Bridges to the Doctorate) Programs. The anticipated
number of new and renewal Bridges to the Baccalaureate awards is six to nine
per year.

The total project
period for an application submitted in response to
this funding opportunity may not exceed 5 years. The size of
award will vary with the scope of the research education program proposed.

NIH grants policies as described in
the NIH
Grants Policy Statement will apply to the applications
submitted and awards made in response to this funding
opportunity announcement.

Facilities and Administrative
(F&A) costs requested by consortium participants, if applicable, are not
included in the direct cost limitation. See NOT-OD-05-004.

Section III. Eligibility
Information

1. Eligible Applicants

1.A. Eligible Institutions

You may submit an application(s) if your organization
has any of the following characteristics:

Public/State Controlled
Institution of Higher Education

Private Institution of Higher Education

Hispanic-serving Institutions

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)

Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs)

Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions

Other(s): Community
Colleges and other two-year post-secondary educational institutions that
offer associate degree programs with an emphasis on the biomedical and
behavioral sciences and that have a high enrollment, as determined by the
applicant institution, of students from target groups/populations.

A Tribally Controlled College/University or a community collegethat has a substantial enrollment
of associate degree students in biomedical/behavioral sciences, but also offers
a baccalaureate program in one or two unrelated disciplines, is eligible to
apply as an applicant institution. However, institutions offering both
associate and baccalaureate degrees may not form partnerships within their own
institution for graduates of their own associate degree programs to enter their
own baccalaureate programs, even if a student is moving to another department,
school, or college. The program seeks to promote and enhance partnerships
BETWEEN institutions.

Each
proposed Bridges to the Baccalaureate program must consist of a partnership/consortium
composed
of no more than four institutions (unless
strongly justified otherwise), including the applicant
institution. One must be an institution that offers the
associate degree as the only undergraduate degree in the biomedical and
behavioral sciences within the participating departments. Another institution
must be a college or university granting the baccalaureate degree in biomedical
and behavioral sciences. An applicant/partner
institution may participate in only one Bridges
to the Baccalaureate partnership.

The
bachelor’s degree-granting institution(s) in the consortium must have strong
science curricula, and a track record of enrolling, retaining and graduating
students who pursue advanced degrees in biomedical and behavioral research
fields.

In the
Bridges to the Baccalaureate grant application only one of the participating
institutions may be designated as the APPLICANT institution. Theapplicant
institution is responsible for financial matters in grant management and should
be experienced in, and have the infrastructure for, managing NIH grants. This
institution must name the Program Director and submit the application. The
other institutions in the consortium must each name one individual as the
Program Coordinator.

Institutions
that submit applications in response to this FOA may submit separate
applications for support of a Bridges to the Doctorate Program (PAR-07-410),
if they meet the eligibility requirements.

Foreign
institutions are not eligible to apply in response to this FOA.

1.B.
Eligible Individuals

Any individual with the skills,
knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research education
program as the Project Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) is invited to
work with his/her organization to develop an application for support.
Individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups as well as
individuals with disabilities are always encouraged to apply for NIH support.
The PD/PI will be expected to monitor and assess the program, submitting
annual reports as required. (See Section
VI.3., “Reporting.”)

More than one PI, or
multiple PIs, may be designated on the application. Additional information on
the implementation plans and policies and procedures to formally allow more
than one PI on individual research awards can be found at https://grants.nih.gov/grants/multi_pi.

The
Principal Investigator, referred to as the Program Director (PD), should be a
full-time faculty (i.e., not adjunct, part-time, retired, or emeritus) with research,
teaching, student counseling and/or academic administrative experience and an
interest in promoting biomedical and behavioral science education among students
from targeted groups/populations.

The
PD is responsible for the administration and management of the overall
institutional program and will serve as a liaison between the applicant
institution and NIH.

Sponsoring Institutions: The participating institutions
in the consortium must assure support for the proposed research education
project. Appropriate institutional commitment to the project includes the
provision of adequate staff, facilities, and educational resources that can
contribute to the planned research education project.

Bridges Student Participants: Research education programs developed under this
initiative must target students from groups
underrepresented in the biomedical and behavioral research enterprise of the
nation and/or populations disproportionately affected by health disparities(targeted groups/populations).Nationally, the targeted groups/populations include, but are not limited to, African Americans, Hispanic Americans,
Native Americans (including Alaska Natives), Natives of the U.S. Pacific
Islands, and/or rural Appalachians.

Bridges
students are those students who will receive support in the form of salaries/wages
under this program. These students must belong to the targeted
groups/populations, must be a U.S. citizen or non-citizen national or permanent
resident and must be matriculated full-time in associate degree programs in
biomedical or behavioral science fields at the partnercommunity college. (A
non-citizen national is a person who, although not a citizen of the United States, owes permanent allegiance to the U.S. This is generally a person born in a land that
is not a state but that is under U.S. sovereignty, jurisdiction, or
administration -- for example, American Samoa.) An individual lawfully
admitted for permanent residence must possess an alien registration receipt
card (I-551) prior to appointment to the Bridges grant. Individuals on
temporary visas, those seeking asylum, or refugees are not eligible for support
from the Bridges Program.

It
is the responsibility of the applicant institution to establish the
qualifications of students prior to their participation in the Bridges Program.

Applicants
are required to include a plan for Training in the Responsible Conduct of
Research, an evaluation plan, and partnership/consortium agreements(see Section IV.6.5). Applications
submitted without these sections may be delayed in the review
process or not reviewed.

Section IV. Application and Submission Information

To download a SF424 (R&R) Application Package and
SF424 (R&R) Application Guide for completing the SF424 (R&R) forms for
this FOA, link to http://www.grants.gov/Apply/
and follow the directions provided on that Web site.

A one-time registration is required for institutions/organizations at both:

The individual
designated as the PD/PI on the application must also be registered in the NIH
eRA Commons. It is not necessary for PDs/PIs to register with Grants.gov.

The PD/PI must hold a
PD/PI account in the Commons and must be affiliated with the applicant organization.
This account cannot have any other role attached to it other than the PD/PI.

This
registration/affiliation must be done by the Authorized Organization
Representative/Signing Official (AOR/SO) or their designee who is already
registered in the Commons.

Both the PD/PI and AOR/SO
need separate accounts in the NIH eRA Commons since both are authorized to view
the application image.

Note that if a PD/PI is also an NIH peer-reviewer with an
Individual DUNS and CCR registration, that particular DUNS number and CCR
registration are for the individual reviewer only. These are different than any
DUNS number and CCR registration used by an applicant organization. Individual
DUNS and CCR registration should be used only for the purposes of personal reimbursement
and should not be used on any grant applications submitted to the Federal
Government.

Several of the steps of the registration process could
take four weeks or more. Therefore, applicants should immediately check with
their business official to determine whether their organization/institution is
already registered in both Grants.gov and
the Commons. The NIH will
accept electronic applications only from organizations that have completed all
necessary registrations.

1. Request Application Information

Applicants must download the SF424 (R&R)
application forms and SF424 (R&R) Application Guide for this FOA through Grants.gov/Apply.

Note: Only the forms package
directly attached to a specific FOA can be used. You will not be able to use
any other SF424 (R&R) forms (e.g., sample forms, forms from another FOA),
although some of the "Attachment" files may be useable for more than
one FOA.

Prepare all applications using the SF424 (R&R)
application forms and in accordance with the SF424
(R&R) Application Guide (MS
Word or PDF).

The SF424 (R&R) Application Guide is critical to
submitting a complete and accurate application to NIH. There are fields within
the SF424 (R&R) application components that, although not marked as
mandatory, are required by NIH (e.g., the “Credential” log-in field of the
“Research & Related Senior/Key Person Profile” component must contain the
PD/PI’s assigned eRA Commons User ID). Agency-specific instructions for
such fields are clearly identified in the Application Guide. For additional
information, see “Tips and Tools for Navigating Electronic Submission” on the
front page of “Electronic
Submission of Grant Applications.”

The SF424 (R&R) application is comprised of data
arranged in separate components. Some components are required, others are
optional. The forms package associated with this FOA in Grants.gov/APPLYwill include all
applicable components, required and optional. A completed application in
response to this FOA will include the following components:

While
the proposed research education program maycomplement other, ongoing research training and education occurring at
the applicant institution, the proposed educational experiences must be
distinct from those research training and research education programs currently
receiving federal support.

Allowable
Costs

Allowable
costs must be consistent with NIH policy and be reasonable, allocable, well
documented and fully justified for the research education program proposed in
the application. Grant funds may not be used to supplant funds otherwise
available at the applicant institution.

Personnel: Individuals participating in the design and
implementation of the research education program may request salary and fringe
benefits appropriate for the person months devoted to the program. These
expenses must be itemized in Sections A and B, as appropriate, of the Research
& Related Budget. Salaries requested may not exceed the levels
commensurate with the institution's policy for similar positions and may not
exceed the congressionally mandated cap. (If mentoring interactions and other
activities with students/participants are considered a regular part of an
individual's academic duties, then mentoring and other interactions with students/participants
are non-reimbursable from grant funds). Limited administrative and clerical
salary costs associated distinctly with the program that are not normally
provided by the applicant organization may be direct charges to the grant only
when specifically identified and justified.

Salary support
for the PD to administer the program is limited to a maximum of 2.4 person months
(i.e., 20% on a 12-month basis) and for a program coordinator at the partnering
institutions should not exceed 1.8 person months (i.e., 15% on a 12-month basis).

Other
Program-Related Expenses: Consultant
costs, equipment, supplies, travel for key persons, and other program-related
expenses must be justified as specifically required by the proposed research
education program and must not duplicate items generally available for
educational programs at the applicant institution. These expenses must be
itemized, as appropriate, in Sections C. (Equipment), D. (Travel), and F.
(Other Direct Costs) of the Research & Related Budget.

The costs (academic year or summer) forthe baccalaureate degree-granting institution faculty
participating in the program must be reasonable, welldocumented, and
fully justified and commensurate with the scope of the proposed program. Similarly, the costs (academic year or
summer) for associatedegree-granting institution faculty for developing or implementing
special academic developmental
activities must be reasonable, welldocumented, and fully justified and commensurate with the scope of the proposed program.

Cost of consultants for evaluation of
the program is allowed; however, if the evaluator is an employee of an institution within the consortium, the cost must be included in the category of key
personnel salary and listed as person months.

Cost of consultants to present research
career seminars at the two-year
institution(s)and those who
are specialists in developing courses, curricula and programs to prepare
students from targeted groups/populations for careers in
research may also be included, but these costs should
be reasonable and well justified.

Limited tuition costs of participating
faculty (from the two-year institution) to take one advanced course per
year at the four-year partner institution is allowed, provided the course iscritical to the development of a
similar course that is part of the proposed curriculum development plan at the
community college.

Costs of advising, counseling and
tutoring of transfer students at the baccalaureate institution are allowed if by other than institutional
faculty, but these costs must be
reasonable, welldocumented, and fully justified and commensurate with the
scope of the proposed program. Furthermore, a
plan should be provided to institutionalize such support by the end of the project period (See Background
and Significance under Section IV.6.5).

Travel expenses are allowed for the PD
and program coordinator(s) to attend NIGMS-organized Bridges PD meetings,and should be
included every other year. The Bridges PD meeting is held biennially in conjunction with the MORE PD meeting.
Travel costs for faculty research mentors are limited to
attending national scientific meetings if the faculty member is accompanying
Bridges students who are presenting at the meeting. Travel costs for the participating faculty at
the community colleges are limited to
attending domestic scientific conferences and workshops that are directly
relevant to curriculum development by the participating faculty.

Participant Costs: Participants
are those individuals who benefit from the proposed research education
program. Participant costs must be justified as specifically required for the
proposed research education program. Participant costs must be itemized in
Section B (Other Personnel) of the Research &
Related Budget.

Applications must clearly indicate the
number of associate degree students from each participating two-year institution and the total number of associate degree students who
wouldreceive support as Bridges students during the academic year and summer.Salarysupport for Bridges studentsparticipating in research skills
development activities (such as summer research
internships, etc.) that are not part of their graduation requirements is allowed at a level comparable to that of other
students employed in similar activities.

This support in the form of salary/wages
is limited to Bridges students at the associate degree-granting institution(s).Students may be supported on Bridges to Baccalaureate funding for up to two years provided their
progress towards the associate degree is satisfactory. In order for the Bridges students to receive this compensation, the following conditions must be met:

The student must
belong to the targeted groups/populations, must
be a U.S. citizen or non-citizen national or permanent
resident and must be matriculated full-time in associate degree programs
in biomedical or behavioral science fields at the partner community college;

The
student must be performing necessary work relevant to the proposed program;

There is
an employer-employee relationship between the student and the institution;

The total
compensation is reasonable for the work performed;

The
institution provides compensation for all students under similar circumstances, regardless of the source of support for
the activity;

The
activities are part of the Bridges Program and not required for the associate degree.

Salary support
for Bridges students should be requested at an hourly rate based on the prevailing scale at the institution with a maximum
of no more than $12/hr.Bridges students may be
supported for up to 10 hours a week during the academic yearfor activities, such as
working as research assistant in the laboratory of a researcher at the baccalaureate degree-granting partner institution and participatingin training, such as a
techniques or research fundamentals workshop, and 40 hours
a week during summer research
internshipat the participating baccalaureateinstitution. Students may not be paid for time taken for courses in summer.

Research
supplies for Bridges students (not to exceed $1,000/student/year) may be requested.Applicants may also request support for travel of Bridges students to scientific
conferences to present scientific papers. Travel (mileage) expenses arealso allowed for Bridges students to participate in special academic development
activities (e.g., serve as laboratory assistant) if the distance between the community college and the partner
baccalaureate institution
is more than 50 miles (round-trip).

Institutional Commitment: Evidence of institutional commitment to the research
educational program is strongly encouraged. The application must include a
letter signed by the appropriate institutional officials agreeing to: a) provide thedata on transfer and subsequent graduation of its students
in biomedical and behavioral sciences;b) track Bridges students over a ten-year
period as they progress through the pipeline;and c) provide the data on transfer, and bachelor’s degree completion for Bridges and non-Bridges students at
the partner institutions.

Facilities and Administrative (F&A) Costs: F&A costs for the applicant organization and
consortium participants will be reimbursed at 8 percent of modified total direct
costs.

3.A.
Submission, Review, and Anticipated Start Dates Opening Date: August 21, 2007 (Earliest
date an application may be submitted to Grants.gov)Letters
of Intent Receipt Date: Not requiredApplicationSubmission/Receipt
Date(s): September 18, 2007; January 18, 2008; September
18, 2008; January 20, 2009; September 18, 2009; January 20, 2010 Peer Review Date(s):February-March for
September submissions, and June-Julyfor January
submissionsCouncil Review Date(s):Mayfor
September submissions and Octoberfor January submissions
Earliest Anticipated Start Date(s):July 1 for Sepbember submissions and December 1 for
January submissionsAdditional Information To Be Available Date
(Activation Date):Not Applicable
3.A.1. Letter of Intent

A
letter of intent is not required for the funding opportunity.

3.B. Submitting an Application Electronically to the
NIH

To submit an application in response to this FOA, applicants should access this
FOA via http://www.grants.gov/Apply
and follow steps 1-4. Note: Applications must only be submitted
electronically. PAPER APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

3.C. Application Processing

Applications may be submitted on or after the
opening date and must be successfully received by Grants.gov no later
than 5:00 p.m.
local time(of the applicant
institution/organization) on the
application submission/receipt date(s). (See Section IV.3.A. for all
dates.) If an application is not submitted by the receipt date(s) and time, the
application may be delayed in the review process or not reviewed.

Upon receipt, applications will
be transferred from Grants.gov to the NIH Electronic Research Administration
process for validation.

Once an application package has been successfully
submitted through Grants.gov, any errors have been addressed, and the assembled
application has been created in the eRA Commons, the PD/PI and the Authorized
Organization Representative/Signing Official (AOR/SO) have two business days to
view the application image.

If everything is acceptable, no
further action is necessary. The application will automatically move forward
for processing by the Division of Receipt and Referral, Center for Scientific
Review, NIH, after two business days.

Prior to the submission deadline,
the AOR/SO can “Reject” the assembled application and submit a
changed/corrected application within the two day viewing window. This option
should be used if the AOR/SO determines that warnings should be addressed. Reminder:
warnings do not stop further application processing. If an application
submission results in warnings (but no errors), it will automatically move
forward after two business days if no action is taken. Please remember that
some warnings may not be applicable or may need to be addressed after
application submission.

If the two day window falls after
the submission deadline, the AOR/SO will have the option to “Reject” the
application if, due to an eRA Commons or Grants.gov system issue, the
application does not correctly reflect the submitted application package (e.g.,
some part of the application was lost or didn’t transfer correctly during the
submission process). The AOR/SO should first contact the eRA Commons
Helpdesk to confirm the system error, document the issue, and
determine the best course of action. NIH will not penalize the applicant for an
eRA Commons or Grants.gov system issue.

If the AOR/SO chooses to “Reject”
the image after the submission deadline for a reason other than an eRA Commons or Grants.gov system failure, a changed/corrected application still can be
submitted but it will be subject to the NIH late
policy guidelines and may not be accepted. The reason for this delay should
be explained in the cover letter attachment.

Both the AOR/SO and PD/PI will
receive e-mail notifications when the application is rejected or the
application automatically moves forward in the process after two days.

Upon receipt, applications will
be evaluated for completeness by the Center for Scientific Review, NIH.
Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.

There will be an acknowledgement
of receipt of applications from Grants.gov and the Commons. Information related to the
assignment of an application to a Scientific Review Group is also in the Commons.

The NIH will not accept any
application in response to this FOA that is essentially the same as one
currently pending initial merit review unless the applicant withdraws the
pending application. The NIH will not accept any application that is
essentially the same as one already reviewed. This does not preclude the
submission of an application already reviewed with substantial changes, but
such application must include an “Introduction” addressing the previous
critique. Note such an application is considered a "resubmission" for
the SF424 (R&R).

All NIH awards are subject to the terms and
conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in the NIH Grants
Policy Statement.

Please note that Bridges to the
Baccalaureate applications must present an integrated set of student
development activities, and therefore a single consolidated budget is required.
Each item in the budget must be clearly justified.

Bridges to the Baccalaureate grant
awards include some restrictions as to how the funds may be used. The following
account summarizes the non-allowable costs under this program.

Unallowable Costs include:

Any salary
support or other costs for
students who are not from target groups/populations, students who are not matriculated full-time at
the partner associate degree-granting institution(s), or for non-US
citizens or non-US nationals.

Salary support for students who have completed the associate
degree and enter the baccalaureate program at a partner or non-partner
institution.

Housing, food, books, recruitment
costs, expenses to pay students to participate
in a program activity (with the
exception of research internship or research
techniques/research fundamentals workshop), incentives to
encourage or motivate students (such as laptop computers, calculators, etc.), internet subscriptions.

Student tuition.

Faculty salary/compensation for
mentoring/advising.

Faculty salary
to supplement the actual academic-year salary or
increase the base by which the academic year salary is calculated/established.

Pre-award costs are allowable. A
grantee may, at its own risk and without NIH prior approval, incur obligations
and expenditures to cover costs up to 90 days before the beginning date of the
initial budget period of a new or renewalaward if such costs: are necessary to conduct the project,
and would be allowable under the grant, if awarded, without NIH prior approval.
If specific expenditures would otherwise require prior approval, the grantee
must obtain NIH approval before incurring the cost. NIH prior approval is
required for any costs to be incurred more than 90 days before the beginning
date of the initial budget period of a newor renewalaward.

The incurrence of pre-award costs in anticipation of a
competing or non-competing award imposes no obligation on NIH either to make
the award or to increase the amount of the approved budget if an award is made
for less than the amount anticipated and is inadequate to cover the pre-award
costs incurred. NIH expects the grantee to be fully aware that pre-award costs
result in borrowing against future support and that such borrowing must not
impair the grantee's ability to accomplish the project objectives in the
approved time frame or in any way adversely affect the conduct of the project.
See the NIH
Grants Policy Statement. 6. Other Submission
Requirements

The NIH requires the PD/PI to fill in his/her Commons User ID in the “PROFILE – Project Director/Principal Investigator” section, “Credential”
log-in field of the “Research & Related Senior/Key Person Profile”
component. The applicant organization must include its DUNS number in its
Organization Profile in the eRA Commons. This DUNS number must match the DUNS
number provided at CCR registration with Grants.gov. For additional
information, see “Tips and Tools for Navigating Electronic Submission” on the
front page of “Electronic
Submission of Grant Applications.”

All application instructions outlined in the SF424
(R&R) Application Guide (MS
Word or PDF)are to be followed, with the following requirements
for R25 applications:

Research education program applications
will use the non-modular budget format and "Just-in-Time" concepts.
See Sections II.2 and IV.2
for budgetary guidance.

Items 2-5 of the Research Plan of
the research education program application may not exceed 25 pages, including small tables,
graphs, figures, diagrams, and charts.

Large tables containing data that are directly relevant the
grant application, such as table
listing tracking data for individual students supported by the Bridges program
over the past tenyears (if applicable),
Bridges-specific student curriculum (do not include entire university
catalogs), sample (blank) copies of survey forms and other assessment
instruments, abstracts of student presentations/URLs for peer-reviewed
publications by students published during the
immediate past funding cycle, and consortium agreements and letters of supportmay be included
in the Appendix.The Appendix
should not be used to provide completed surveys or summary of survey results,
program evaluation reports or biosketches.

The Introduction (required for a
resubmission application) is limited to three pages.

Appendix
Materials

NIH has published
new limitations on grant application appendix materials to encourage
applications to be as concise as possible while containing the information
needed for expert scientific review. See
https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-07-018.html.

Do not use the Appendix to
circumvent the page limitations of the Research Plan component. An application
that does not observe the required page limitations may be delayed in the
review process.

Note: While each section of the
PHS398 Research Plan component needs to be uploaded separately as a PDF
attachment, applicants are encouraged to construct the Research Plan component
as a single document, separating sections into distinct PDF attachments just
before uploading the files. This approach will enable applicants to monitor
better formatting requirements such as page limits. All attachments must be
provided to NIH in PDF format, filenames must be included with no spaces or
special characters, and a .pdf extension must be used.

Supplementary Research
Education Program Application Instructions

Applicants should use the
following guidance, in addition to the instructions accompanying the SF 424
(R&R) form. Applications that do not conform to the specific instructions
detailed below will be returned.

2. SF 424 Research &
Related Other Project Information, Item 9 (Facilities & Other Resources): Describe
the educational environment of the applicant and partner institutions, including the
facilities, laboratories, participating departments, computer services, and any
other resources to be used in the development and implementation of the
proposed program.List all thematically related sources of support for research
training and education following the format for Current and Pending Support.

3. SF 424 Research &
Related Senior/Key Person Profile: Key Personnel must include the PD/PI as
well as any other key persons (such as those involved in the
development, implementing, directing, monitoring, evaluating, etc., of the
program, and who are integral to the proposed research education program) participating in the research education program. The biographical sketch for each key person, including the
consultant(s), should include information on the other student development
projects that the person is working on or has worked
on that are relevant to the proposed research education program.The biographical sketches of faculty who are
to coordinate and/or provide research
experiences should also include information on their current grant
support andpast student training record.

4. Research & Related Budget: Complete for each
budget period requested.

A. Senior/Key Person: complete for all senior/key
persons associated with the research education program. The PD/PI must be
included here.

B. Other Personnel: complete for all other personnel
(including clerical and administrative staff, and Bridges students) associated with the research education program.
State the number of Bridges studentsfrom each partner institution and the total number of Bridges students to be supported by the
proposed research education programduring the academic year and summer.

C. Equipment: self-explanatory.

D. Travel: include here any travel funds requested
for senior/key persons and other personnel (i.e., those persons identified in
Sections A. and B.) associated with the research education program.

E. Participant/Trainee Support Costs:The Bridges student costs are included under section B above (Other
Personnel). Section E (Participant/Trainee Support Costs) is not applicable to Bridges to the
Baccalaureate program.

F. Other Direct Costs: itemize as appropriate and
allowed for the research education program.The
allowable categories of participant support costs are summarized in Section
IV.2 for this FOA.

K. Budget Justification: provide a detailed
justification for each category for which funds are requested. For Section E,
itemize each category of support costs per participant and justify.

5. PHS 398 Research Plan Attachments:

There are five parts to the Research
Plan. Part 1 refers to PHS 398 section on Introduction and isrequired only for resubmissions. Parts 2-5 correspond to PHS 398 sections on Specific Aims, Background and Significance, Preliminary Studies/Progress Report, and Research Design
and Methods. The page limit for Section 1 is 3 pages, and the total
number of pages for Sections 2-5 must not exceed 25 pages, including small tables, graphs,
figures, diagrams, and charts.Details of
the information required to be included in a Bridges to the Baccalaureate
application in each of the above sections in the
Research Plan are presented below.

Part 1 (Introduction) is required only
for resubmissions, and should
contain the applicant’s responses to comments from the previous scientific
review group.

Part 2 (Specific Aims) must address the overall goals
and specific measurable objectives (including anticipated milestones) that the consortiuminstitutions expect to accomplish by the end of
the project period. The application should lay out a strategy and timeline to
meet or exceed theexpectations
set by the Bridges to the
Baccalaureate Program (see Section I.1 for details). These objectives
must be presented as percent improvement over the current baseline and the
baseline must be clearly defined. An example of a specific measurable
objectiveis, but not limited to: there will be a (state a specific percent) increase in theoverall institutional transfer rate of students from targeted groups/populations from partner community
college(s) to the baccalaureate degree programsin biomedical/behavioral sciences.Thus, the application would be expected to provide data on the currentoverall institutional transfer rate of targeted students in
these areas now (baseline), and indicate what the anticipated transfer rate (or
percent improvement over the current baseline) will
beas a result of proposed activities by end of the project period.

Part 3 (Background and Significance)must provide the
following specific information:

1) Institutional Setting and Current Status of the Biomedical and Behavioral Sciences-Related Academic Programs at the Participating Institutions. This section should include the following:

Brief description of each institution, and the
rationale for selecting these institutions for the partnership/consortium. The partnership/consortium agreement
between the associate and the baccalaureatedegree-granting
institutions that defines their respective roles in administering the program
must be submitted with the application as part of the Appendix.

The biomedical and behavioral sciences-related disciplines in which associate degree programs are offered at the two-year institution(s), a brief
description of the relevant curriculum, and the current status of transfer of
credits and courses from the community college(s) to thebaccalaureate institution(s).

The biomedical and behavioral
sciences-related disciplines in which bachelor’s degree programs are offered at
the baccalaureate institution(s), and brief descriptions of the relevant
curricula and general degree requirements.

List of participating faculty (name,
degree, institution, year, discipline, and courses taught)at the consortium institutions.In addition,
information on other student development projects that the person is working on
or has worked on that are relevant to the proposed research education program, title and sources of externallyfunded research,
if any, and the past student training record of research mentorsmust be included as part of the biosketch (see SF 424 Research & Related Senior/Key Person
Profile under Section IV.6).

Academic advising and career counseling services, etc., available to students at the participating institutions.

2) Students: Provide the
institutional baseline data, e.g., average
data over the previous five years, in tabular and narrative
forms on student enrollment, transfer and graduation from the participating institutions:

The total student enrollment at eachinstitution and
the number and percent of students from targeted groups/populations (e.g., African
Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans
(including Alaska Natives), Natives of the U.S. Pacific Islands, and/or rural Appalachians).

Total number and percent of students from targeted groups/populations enrolled in associate and undergraduate degree programs (as applicable)in biomedical/behavioral sciences-relateddisciplines/departments at the participating institutions.

Total number of students from targeted groups/populations in biomedical and behavioral sciences
graduating with associate and baccalaureate degrees (as applicable) from each of the participating institutions
and percent of this total graduating in
each ethnic group and health
disparities population.

Total number of students from targeted groups/populations who transitioned from each participatingtwo-year college to
a four-year program in biomedical
and behavioral sciences.

Total number of transfer students from targeted groups/populations from each of the participating institution who received a baccalaureate, master’s or
Ph.D. degree in biomedical and behavioral sciences.

3) Vision for the Future and Anticipated Value of the Bridges to the Baccalaureate
Program. Provide the following specific
information:

Describe the analysis/evaluation of students’ competencies and
knowledge and of the faculty’s teaching capabilities
used to assist the institution in identifying the areas selected for
improvement.

Describe the partnership’s vision for the future of biomedical/behavioral science
programs at the two-year institution(s), includingan overview of how the
educational strategies proposed will result in the achievement of the proposed
objectives.

Describe the plan that would enable associate degree students to
make a seamless transition to the
bachelor’s degree-granting institution and successfully complete the
baccalaureate degree program, including the
institutional supportthat will be available to these transfer students at the baccalaureate institution(s).

Briefly describe the relationship of the proposed
activities to other minority-serving student development
programs similar/complementary to Bridges to the Baccalaureate Program, and how
the Bridges to the Baccalaureate program will interact with any of these programs.

Describe the plan for institutionalization of
Bridges-supported activities (such as new/updated
courses and curricula at the associate degree
institution(s), and costsof advising,
counseling and tutoring of transfer students at the baccalaureate institution(s), etc.) by the
end of the project period.Provide evidence of support for
the proposed institutionalization plan from the department chair(s), dean of the
college, and/or other relevant members of the institution’s central
administration.

Part 4 of this section (Preliminary
Studies/Progress Report) should contain information on steps that have led
to the proposed research education program. A Progress Report must be included
in renewal applications.

New applicants should briefly describe
and summarize the outcomes within the last 5 years of any existing programs at the
participating institutions that have helped retain and train students
from targeted groups/populations.

For renewal applications, an explicitly
identified, detailed progress report (in place of Preliminary Studies) must be included. The following
information must be included, in narrative and/or
tabular form, as part of the progress report:

Provide a summary of the of the overall progress made during the previous grant period in the context of Bridges to the
Baccalaureate Program’s expectations (see Section I.1
for details), including: 1) the total number of associate degree students (Bridges and non-Bridges) from targeted groups/populationsfrom the participating two-year institutions who transferredto baccalaureate degree programs in
biomedical and behavioral research sciences, 2) the number of Bridges students who transferred to a four-year institution in biomedical and behavioral research sciences, and 3) the number of transferring Bridges students who completed theirbachelor’s degree in biomedical and behavioral research sciences.

Briefly describe the major student
development activities implemented, the number of students served, the
faculty member introducing/conducting the activity, and the progress made
in relation to the original goals and objectives.

Provide a list of Bridges students
who were supported by the Bridges to the Baccalaureate Program during the
previous grant period. This
list should give each student’s name, the targeted groups/populations
[e.g., African Americans, Hispanic
Americans, Native Americans (including Alaska Natives), Natives of the U.S. Pacific Islands, and/or rural
Appalachians] he/she belongs to, type and year of degree earned (including the major), current plans or status, and contact information.

Describe what has been learned
through the program evaluation and any changes made in the program as a
result of the evaluation.

Describe any previously funded
Bridges activities that are now continuing (or will continue) on institutional funds.

Applications without a detailed progress report will be considered non-responsive to this
funding opportunity.

Part 5 of this section (Research
Design and Methods) should be retitled "Research Education Program
Plan" and should contain material organized under the following
subheadings in a single attachment and as appropriate to the specific program.

Program Director(s):
Describe arrangements for administration of the program; provide evidence that
the Program Director is actively engaged in research and/or teaching in an area
related to the mission of the NIGMS and/or NCMHDand can organize,
administer, monitor, and evaluate the research education program, as well as
evidence of institutional and community commitment and support for the proposed
program.

ThePD assumes responsibility for the overall execution of the Bridges to the
Baccalaureate program and is substantially involved in all operational aspects
of the program.The PD is
typically responsible for the selection of students and the coordination and
implementation of developmental education and
mentoring activities. The PD is
the primary contact with the Bridges to the Future Programat NIH and is
responsible for submitting the required
reports, e.g., annual progress reports, changes in program activities if any,
etc., in a timely
manner. Both the PD and the evaluator should work together to monitor and evaluate the
progress of specific program activities and the overall functioning
of the Bridges to the Baccalaureate program.

ThePD isalso responsible
for tracking and maintaining
student data.

Program Faculty/Staff: Describe the characteristics
and responsibilities of the participating faculty; provide evidence that the
participating faculty and preceptors are actively engaged in research or other
scholarly activities related to the mission of the NIGMS and NCMHD.

The proposed developmental activities must
address the needs and requirements of the students
from targeted groups/populations enrolled in the associate degree programs and must be
designed to increase the number of these students transferring to the
baccalaureate degree programs and completing the bachelor’s degree in
biomedical/behavioral sciences.

Provide the rationale for each
developmental activity and detailed description of how each activity will contribute to realization of the objectives, its overall impact on the two-year institution’s capabilities to provide competitive training totheir students, role of the faculty/personnel involved, and the
equipment, space, and other resources available to implement the activity. Give a brief account of the proposed schedule of the
activities and whether these activities will be
available to all students (Bridges and
non-Bridges). Some examples of developmental activities
follow:

Describe each student development
activity in detail. For example, if an application proposes to develop a competitive biology
curriculum or modernize/update an existing course
that is critical to the competitive training of students, it should provide detailed information on the existing curriculum/course(s)
and course contents, faculty expertise, new or revised course(s) proposed, and faculty responsible for the upgrade; evidence of
support for the proposed change from the department chair, dean of the college,
and/or other relevant personnel of the
institution’s central administration must also be provided.

The summer research
internship at the four-year partner institution is a critical part of the Bridges to the Baccalaureate
Program. It is expected that Bridges students will conduct their research
internshipsin the laboratories of investigators who are actively
engaged in research and publish. Thus, a list
of available faculty research mentors
must be provided. In addition, faculty
bio-sketches and their extramural support must be provided (seeSF 424 Research & Related Senior/Key Person Profile
under Section IV.6). Provide details on how the
Bridges students will select a research laboratory or be matched with a mentor,
the number of hours that the student will spend working in the laboratory per
week or during the summer, what the research experience will consist of, and
what the student is expected to learn or accomplish.

Applications proposing other developmental activities
should likewise provide a brief rationale and a detailed description
(including baseline data, personnel involved, and timeframe, etc.) of each
activity. Some of these activities may include, but are
not limited to: development of research skills through problem-based group research
courses; teamteaching of new
or existing courses by the faculty from both the two-year and baccalaureate
institutions; enabling associate degree students to
take courses (e.g., in person or through distance learning, etc.) and/or
participate in seminar programs at the baccalaureate institution; collaborative learning experiences/supplementary instruction; research
careers seminars; scientific reading comprehension
and writing skills;time-management skills;tutoring for excellence; attendance at scientific conferences; science fairs; and orientation
classes on college
expectations and how to adjust to the college environment.

Describe the pool of targeted students at each
associate degree-granting institution in the consortium. Describe the criteria for selection and retention of Bridges studentsinto the program
and for the selection of participating
faculty. Describe how students’ progress will be
monitored while they are in the Bridges program, after the Bridges, and while in the baccalaureate degree program.

The application should describe a system for tracking the Bridges studentsand maintaining
the data on their progression through the educational pipeline. These data shoulddocument the impact of the Bridges program on competitive preparation of Bridges students at the two-year partner institution(s), theirtransfer rates to
the four-year institution, and their baccalaureate degree (andthe next higher-degree(s), if possible)
completion rates in the
biomedical and behavioral sciences.These data
should allow the institution to comparethe transfer and
degree completion rates of students from targeted groups/populations who
participate in the Bridges to the Baccalaureate
program with all other students at the institution.

Responsible Conduct of
Research: Describe plans to provide formal and informal instruction to
participants on scientific integrity and ethical principles in research. The
plan should be appropriate for the duration and content of the proposed
research education program. Although the NIH does not establish specific
curricula or formal requirements, all programs are encouraged to consider
instruction in the following areas: conflict of interest, responsible
authorship, policies for handling misconduct, data management, data sharing,
and policies regarding the use of human and animal subjects. Plans must
address: 1) the subject matter of the instruction, the format of the instruction,
the degree of program faculty participation, participant attendance, and the
frequency of instruction; and 2) the rationale for the proposed plan of
instruction.

If such training is not
appropriate for the proposed research education program, then the PD/PI must
provide a strong justification for its exclusion.

Evaluation Plan: Include evaluation plans for
assessing the success of the program in achieving its goals and objectives.
Benchmarks should be specified, and specific plans and procedures must be
described to capture, analyze and report outcome measures that would determine
the success of the research education program in achieving its objectives. The
inclusion of evaluation instruments is encouraged.

The evaluation
plan should identify the selected evaluator and
present his/her credentials. The evaluation may be done through the
institution’s evaluation office, or an external evaluator may be included as a
consultant. The evaluation must be used as advisory to the PD and participating institutions to determine where the program is successful and where
changes are needed.

Applications that lack an evaluation plan will be returned.

Consortium
Agreements:

Consortium agreements are a required part of the Bridges to
the Baccalaureate Program. These agreementsbetween the
eligible associate and baccalaureate degree-granting
institutions definetheir respective
roles in administering the program. Each
consortium is limited to four
institutions, unless strongly justified otherwise, including
the applicant institution. The
application should delineate appropriate agreements and consortium arrangements
with all the participating
institutions consistent with its unified plan. The partnership/consortium
agreements are expected to facilitate a seamless transition of associate degree students into the
baccalaureate programs of the
bachelor’s degree granting institution(s).

Each partner institution must be aware of the NIH
Consortium grant policy, and the
application must include a
letter from EACH collaborating institution signed by
the appropriate institutional officials and program director/program
coordinator, acknowledging participation
in the program. These letters must also include the following statement:

“THE APPROPRIATE PROGRAMMATIC AND ADMINISTRATIVE PERSONNEL OF EACH INSTITUTION INVOLVED IN THIS
GRANT APPLICATION ARE AWARE OF THE NIH CONSORTIUM GRANT POLICY AND ARE PREPARED
TO ESTABLISH THE NECESSARY INTER-INSTITUTIONAL AGREEMENT(S) CONSISTENT WITH
THAT POLICY.” Place these letters in the Appendix.

The precise content of
the data-sharing plan will vary, depending on the data being collected and how
the investigator is planning to share the data. Applicants who are planning to
share data may wish to describe briefly the expected schedule for data sharing,
the format of the final dataset, the documentation to be provided, whether or
not any analytic tools also will be provided, whether or not a data-sharing
agreement will be required and, if so, a brief description of such an agreement
(including the criteria for deciding who can receive the data and whether or
not any conditions will be placed on their use), and the mode of data sharing
(e.g., under their own auspices by mailing a disk or posting data on their
institutional or personal Web site, through a data archive or enclave).
Investigators choosing to share under their own auspices may wish to enter into
a data-sharing agreement. References to data sharing may also be appropriate in
other sections of the application.

Sharing Research
Resources

NIH
policy expects that grant recipients make unique research resources readily
available for research purposes to qualified individuals within the scientific
community after publication (See the NIH Grants Policy Statementhttps://grants.nih.gov/archive/grants/policy/nihgps_2003/index.htm#_Toc54600131).
Investigators responding to this funding opportunity should include a sharing
research resources plan addressing how unique research resources will be shared
or explain why sharing is not possible.

Section V. Application Review Information

1. Criteria (Update: Enhanced review criteria have been issued for the evaluation of research applications received for potential FY2010 funding and thereafter - see NOT-OD-09-025).

Only the review criteria described below will be
considered in the review process.

2. Review and
Selection Process Applications that are complete will be evaluated
for scientific and technical merit by an appropriate review group convened by the Center
for Scientific Review in
accordance with the review criteria stated below.

As part of the initial merit review, all
applications will:

Undergo
a selection process in which only those applications deemed to have the
highest scientific merit, generally the top half of applications under
review, will be discussed and assigned a priority score.

Receive
a written critique.

Receive a second level of review by the National
Advisory General Medical Sciences Council.

Applications submitted in
response to this funding opportunity will compete for available funds with all
other recommended applications. The following will be considered in making
funding decisions:

Scientific
merit of the proposed project as determined by peer review.

Availability
of funds.

Relevance
to program priorities.

For renewal applications: Past performance of
the Bridges to the Baccalaureate Program in increasing the transfer of
students from underrepresented groups and/or health disparities
populations to, and graduation from, baccalaureate degree programs in the
biomedical/behavioral sciences is weighted heavily in making funding
decisions.

The goals of NIH-supported
research training, education, and career development programs are to help
ensure that a diverse pool of highly trained scientists is available in
adequate numbers and in appropriate scientific areas to address the Nation’s
biomedical, behavioral, and clinical research needs. In their written
critiques, reviewers will be asked to comment on each of the following criteria
in order to judge the likelihood that the proposed research education program will
have a substantial impact on the pursuit of these goals. Each of these criteria
will be addressed and considered in assigning the overall score, weighting them
as appropriate for each application.

Significance

Approach

Innovation

Investigator

Environment

Note that an application does not
need to be strong in all categories to be judged likely to have major
scientific impact and thus deserve a high priority score. These criteria are
not listed in any order of priority.

Research education program grant
applications submitted in response to this funding opportunity announcement
should be characterized by innovation, scholarship and responsiveness to the
priorities and/or changing needs of the NIGMS and NCMHDin meeting
its objectives. Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact NIGMSprogram staff for current information about targeted
priorities and policies before preparing an application (see Section VII).

Significance: Does the proposed research
education program address scientific/education areas and/or topics important to
the mission of the NIGMS and NCMHD? How will implementation of
the proposed program advance the objectives of this funding opportunity
announcement as well as the mission of the NIGMS and NCMHD?Are the proposed developmental
activities likely to achieve the objectives of improving the academic
preparation of associate degree students and allowing them to transfer and
complete baccalaureate degree programs in biomedical and behavioral sciences? What will be the impact of the
proposed program on the increase in the number of students from the targeted
groups/populations who transfer to four-year institutions and complete bachelor’s degrees and pursue scientific careers in the
biomedical/behavioral sciences?

Approach: Are the conceptual
framework, design, methods, and analyses adequately developed, well integrated,
well reasoned, and appropriate to the aims of the project? Does the applicant
acknowledge potential problem areas and consider alternative approaches? Is there evidence that the program is based on sound
research concepts and educational principles? If the proposed program will
recruit participants, are the recruitment, retention, and follow-up activities
adequate to ensure alarge pool of eligible participants? Does the program provide details and rationale for the
activities proposed to enhance the academic preparation, knowledge, and skills of the targeted groups/populations of students?Are the roles of the participating institutions well
developed, well integrated, and appropriate to the
aims of the program?Are the partnership arrangements reasonable and are they
likely to facilitate the seamless transition of students from the associate degree programs to the
baccalaureate degree programs at the partner institution(s)?

Innovation: Is the research education
program original and innovative? For example: Does the project challenge
existing paradigms and address the
critical barriers that prevent students from the targeted groups from
transferring and completing a baccalaureate degree?
Do the proposed academic development activities employ novel concepts,
approaches, or methods to attract, retain and prepare associate degree students for more challenging academic programs at the baccalaureate degree-granting institution? Does this program duplicate,
or overlap with, existing research education, training and/or career
development activities currently supported at the applicant institution or
available elsewhere?

Investigators: Do the investigators (the PD/PI
and other researchers) have the appropriate training and experience to carry
out this work? Does the investigative team bring complementary and integrated
expertise to the program? Is
there evidence that an appropriate level of effort will be devoted by the
program leadership to ensure the program's objectives? Do the key
personnel selected to implement the program have experience in mentoring
students from the targeted groups in particular?

Environment: Does the
scientific/educational environment in which the program will be conducted
contribute to the probability of success? Does the proposed research education program benefit from unique
features of the scientific environment, subject populations, or employ useful
collaborative arrangements? Is there evidence of appropriate collaboration
among participating programs, departments, and institutions? Is the
institutional commitment to the proposed program appropriate? Are adequate
plans provided for coordination and communication between the multiple sites? Do the consortium agreements and letters from each participating institution
provide adequate documentation and assurance that each will contribute to the
success of the proposed Bridges to the Baccalaureate program?Does the proposed consortium involve
an appropriate number of institutions? Is there an
adequate pool of students from targeted groups/populations
in the participating science
department(s) at the two-year colleges, and does the bachelor’s degree-granting partner institution have a track record of
enrolling, retaining and graduating students who pursue advanced degrees in
biomedical and behavioral research fields?

Evaluation Plan: Is the evaluation plan and timeline adequate for assessing
the effectiveness (process and outcome) of the program
in achieving its goals and objectives? Does the application identify an
individual with appropriate credentials to conduct the proposed evaluation?

For renewal
applications only:Has the research education
program successfully achieved its stated objectives, especially
in the context of Bridges to the Baccalaureate Program’s expectations (see
Section IV.6 “Specific Aims”), during the prior project
period? What is the track record of the participating
institutions on transfer rates of associate-degree students to
baccalaureate institutions, and the graduation rates of these students with
bachelor’s degree in biomedical/behavioral sciencesfrom the baccalaureate institution(s)? How does this record compare to the Bridges Program goals (50% increase in the overall
institutional transfer rate; and 70% transfer and 75%
baccalaureate degree completion rates for
Bridges students)?
Has the program been innovative in the past and does it continue to demonstrate
innovation?Has the
program been adequately evaluated, and is the
proposed approach for the next project period responsive to the results of this
evaluation?

2.A.
Additional Review Criteria:

In addition to the above criteria, the following items
will continue to be considered in the determination of scientific merit and the
priority score:

Resubmission Applications
(formerly “revised/amended” applications): Are the responses to comments
from the previous scientific review group adequate? Are the improvements in the
resubmission application appropriate?

Protection of Human
Subjects from Research Risk: The
involvement of human subjects and protections from research risk relating to
their participation in the proposed research will be assessed. See item 6 of
the Research Plan component of the SF424 (R&R).

Inclusion of Women, Minorities and
Children in Research: The
adequacy of plans to include subjects from both genders, all racial and ethnic
groups (and subgroups), and children as appropriate for the scientific goals of
the research will be assessed. Plans for the recruitment and retention of
subjects will also be evaluated. See item 7 of the Research Plan component of
the SF424 (R&R).

Care and Use of Vertebrate Animals in
Research: If vertebrate animals are to
be used in the project, the five items described under item 11 of the Research
Plan component of the SF 424 (R&R) will be assessed.

Biohazards:If materials or
procedures are proposed that are potentially hazardous to research personnel
and/or the environment, the adequacy of the proposed protection will be
assessed.

2.B. Additional Review
Considerations

Budget and Period of Support: The
reasonableness of the proposed budget and the appropriateness of the requested
period of support in relation to the proposed research education program will be
assessed by the reviewers. The priority score should not be affected by the
evaluation of the budget.

Training in the Responsible Conduct of Research:
Peer reviewers will assess the applicant's plans for training in the
responsible conduct of research on the basis of the appropriateness of topics,
format, amount and nature of faculty participation, and the frequency and
duration of instruction.

The plan will be discussed after the overall determination
of merit, and the review panel's evaluation of the plan will not be a factor in
the determination of the priority score. Plans will be judged as acceptable or
unacceptable. The acceptability of the plan will be described in an
administrative note on the summary statement. Regardless of the priority score,
applications with unacceptable plans will not be funded until the applicant
provides a revised, acceptable plan. Program staff will judge the acceptability
of the revised plan.

2.C.
Sharing Research Data

Not Applicable

2.D. Sharing Research Resources

Not Applicable

3.
Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates

Not Applicable

Section
VI. Award Administration Information

1.
Award Notices

After the peer review of the application is completed, the PD/PI will be able
to access his or her Summary Statement (written critique) via the NIH eRA Commons.

Selection of an application for award is not an
authorization to begin performance. Any costs incurred before receipt of the Notice
of Award (NoA) are at the recipient's risk. These costs may be reimbursed only
to the extent considered allowable pre-award costs. See Section
IV.5., “Funding Restrictions.”

A formal notification in the form
of a Notice of Award (NoA) will be provided to the applicant organization. The
NoA signed by the grants management officer is the authorizing document. Once
all administrative and programmatic issues have been resolved, the NoA will be
generated via email notification from the NIGMS to the grantee business official.

2.
Administrative and National Policy Requirements

Termination of Award: When a grantee institution plans
to terminate an award, program and grants management staff at the NIH funding
component must be notified in writing as soon as possible.

Change
of Institution:
The research education program may not be transferred from one institution to
another.

Change
of Program:
Awards are made for a specific program under the guidance and leadership of a
particular PD/PI. A change in any of these parameters requires prior approval
by the responsible program officer in the NIH funding component. A rationale
must be provided for any proposed changes in the aims of the original,
peer-reviewed program. If the new program does not satisfy this requirement,
the award will be terminated.

Change
of PD/PI:
If change of the PD/PI is necessary, support of the award is not automatic but
may be continued with prior written approval by the NIH funding component,
provided that the following conditions are met. The current PD/PI or the
grantee institution must submit a written request for the change, signed by the
appropriate institutional business official, to the responsible program officer
of the NIH funding component that describes the reasons for the change. The
Biographical Sketch of the proposed PD/PI, including a complete listing of
active research grant support, must be provided. The information in the
request must establish that the Specific Aims of the original peer-reviewed
research education program will remain unchanged under the direction of the new
PD/PI and that the new PD/PI has the appropriate research and administrative
expertise to lead the program. This request must be submitted sufficiently in
advance of the requested effective date to allow the necessary time for
review.

The Progress Report should provide
information on the development and implementation of the proposed research
education program (including education in the responsible conduct of research),
modifications to the research education program as originally proposed, details
about the applicant pool and the participants including their career level,
gender, and racial/ethnic backgrounds (if applicable), updates on the evaluation
of the research education program and dissemination activities (if applicable),
and a list of any publications and/or other materials arising from the research
education program.

Evaluation: In carrying out its stewardship
of human resource-related programs, the NIH may request information essential
to an assessment of the effectiveness of this program. Accordingly, award
recipients are hereby notified that they may be contacted after completion of
this award for periodic updates on various aspects of program development,
implementation, dissemination, and other information helpful in evaluating the
impact of this program.

Publication
and Sharing of Research Results: Investigators are encouraged to submit reports of
their findings for publication to the journals of their choice. For each
publication that results from this award, NIH support should be acknowledged by
a footnote in language similar to the following: “This project was supported by
NIH grant number ________. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the
authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH.”

Final
Reports: A
final Progress Report and Financial Status Report are required when an award is
terminated.

Section
VII. Agency Contacts

We encourage your inquiries
concerning this funding opportunity and welcome the opportunity to answer
questions from potential applicants. Inquiries may fall into three areas:
scientific/research, peer review, and financial or grants management issues:

Human Subjects Protection:Federal regulations (45 CFR 46) require that
applications and proposals involving human subjects must be evaluated with
reference to the risks to the subjects, the adequacy of protection against
these risks, the potential benefits of the research to the subjects and others,
and the importance of the knowledge gained or to be gained (http://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/humansubjects/guidance/45cfr46.htm).

Access to Research Data through the Freedom of
Information Act:The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular
A-110 has been revised to provide access to research data through the Freedom
of Information Act (FOIA) under some circumstances. Data that are (1) first
produced in a project that is supported in whole or in part with Federal funds
and (2) cited publicly and officially by a Federal agency in support of an
action that has the force and effect of law (i.e., a regulation) may be
accessed through FOIA. It is important for applicants to understand the basic
scope of this amendment. NIH has provided guidance at https://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/a110/a110_guidance_dec1999.htm.
Applicants may wish to place data collected under this funding opportunity in a
public archive, which can provide protections for the data and manage the
distribution for an indefinite period of time. If so, the application should
include a description of the archiving plan in the study design and include
information about this in the budget justification section of the application.
In addition, applicants should think about how to structure informed consent
statements and other human subjects procedures given the potential for wider
use of data collected under this award.

NIH Public Access Policy:NIH-funded investigators are requested to submit to
the NIH manuscript submission (NIHMS) system (http://www.nihms.nih.gov) at
PubMed Central (PMC) an electronic version of the author's final manuscript
upon acceptance for publication, resulting from research supported in whole or
in part with direct costs from NIH. The author's final manuscript is defined as
the final version accepted for journal publication, and includes all
modifications from the publishing peer review process.

NIH is requesting that authors submit manuscripts
resulting from 1) currently funded NIH research projects or 2) previously
supported NIH research projects if they are accepted for publication on or
after May 2, 2005. The NIH Public Access Policy applies to all research grant
and career development award mechanisms, cooperative agreements, contracts,
Institutional and Individual Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service
Awards, as well as NIH intramural research studies. The Policy applies to
peer-reviewed, original research publications that have been supported in whole
or in part with direct costs from NIH, but it does not apply to book chapters,
editorials, reviews, or conference proceedings. Publications resulting from
non-NIH-supported research projects should not be submitted.

For more information about the Policy or the
submission process, please visit the NIH Public Access Policy Web site at http://publicaccess.nih.gov/
and view the Policy or other Resources and Tools, including the Authors' Manual.

Standards for Privacy of Individually Identifiable
Health Information:The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)
issued final modification to the "Standards for Privacy of Individually
Identifiable Health Information", the "Privacy Rule", on August 14, 2002. The Privacy Rule is a federal regulation under the Health Insurance
Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 that governs the protection
of individually identifiable health information, and is administered and
enforced by the DHHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR).

Decisions about applicability and implementation of
the Privacy Rule reside with the researcher and his/her institution. The OCR
website (http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/)
provides information on the Privacy Rule, including a complete Regulation Text
and a set of decision tools on "Am I a covered entity?" Information
on the impact of the HIPAA Privacy Rule on NIH processes involving the review,
funding, and progress monitoring of grants, cooperative agreements, and
research contracts can be found at https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-03-025.html.

URLs in NIH Grant
Applications or Appendices:
All applications and proposals for
NIH funding must be self-contained within specified page limitations. For
publications listed in the appendix and/or Progress report, internet addresses
(URLs) must be used for publicly accessible on-line journal
articles. Unless otherwise specified in this solicitation, Internet
addresses (URLs) should not be used to provide any other information
necessary for the review because reviewers are under no obligation to view the
Internet sites. Furthermore, we caution reviewers that their anonymity may be
compromised when they directly access an Internet site.

Healthy People 2010:The Public Health Service (PHS) is committed to
achieving the health promotion and disease prevention objectives of
"Healthy People 2010," a PHS-led national activity for setting
priority areas. This FOA is related to one or more of the priority areas.
Potential applicants may obtain a copy of "Healthy People 2010" at http://www.health.gov/healthypeople.

Authority and Regulations:
This program is described in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
and is not subject to the intergovernmental review requirements of Executive
Order 12372 or Health Systems Agency review. Awards are made under the
authorization of Sections 301 and 405 of the Public Health Service Act as
amended (42 USC 241 and 284) and under Federal Regulations 42 CFR Part 52 and
45 CFR Parts 74 and 92. All awards are subject to the terms and conditions,
cost principles, and other considerations described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

The PHS strongly encourages all grant recipients to
provide a smoke-free workplace and discourage the use of all tobacco products.
In addition, Public Law 103-227, the Pro-Children Act of 1994, prohibits
smoking in certain facilities (or in some cases, any portion of a facility) in
which regular or routine education, library, day care, health care, or early
childhood development services are provided to children. This is consistent
with the PHS mission to protect and advance the physical and mental health of
the American people.